Sulphasalazine treatment in protracted familial Mediterranean fever arthritis

• DOI: 10.1007/s00431-008-0875-y
• Publication Date: 2008-11-26T16:37:27Z
• Authors: Sevcan A. Bakkaloglu; Tekin Aksu; Berna Goker; Aysel Unlusoy; Harun Peru; Kibriya Fidan; Oguz Soylemezoglu; Enver Hasanoglu; Necla Buyan
• Keywords: Monoarthritis; Colchicine; Serositis; Arthropathy; Inflammatory arthritis; Sulfasalazine

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by self-limited attacks of fever and polyserositis. Articular involvement in early-onset FMF is a common finding characterized by non-erosive, generally asymmetric monoarthritis in large joints. Protracted FMF arthritis was reported in 2.6% of Turkish patients. An 8-year-old female who has a history of FMF for 5 years applied to our hospital with complaints of persistent swelling and pain of her left knee for 8 months. The patient had been tried to be managed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as well as intra-articulary steroids and colchicine. However, arthritis and acute phase response persisted. With sulphasalazine, complete recovery was achieved. It is our belief that sulphasalazine can be a choice of medical treatment in protracted FMF arthritis.